December 2008

December 31, 2008

Blogging has introduced me to lovely people all over the United States and the rest of the world. If I hadn't started blogging almost two years ago, I would have far fewer friends than I do now. One of my special blogging friends is Susan Ramey Cleveland, who has a blog called Blackberry Creek. She lives in yellow house with her wonderful husband Vann and their sweet dog Sophie Belle Patterpaw.

If you don't know Susan, you must go on over and introduce yourself. She will welcome you with old fashioned Southern Hospitality.

Things have gotten a bit topsy turvy of late in Susan's neck of the woods, but in spite of the path she finds herself on at the moment, she has taken time to remember some of her blogging friends. I was thrilled this week to discover this calendar and cookbook from Susan in my mailbox. The calendar is full of gorgeous quilty pictures, and the cook book....Well, let me just say that the cookbook is my favorite sort--chock full of tried and true recipes that have been tested in real homes by real people. The kinds of recipes that you take to pot lucks, make when you need an easy dinner, make when company is coming, and look to when you need a dessert that will get everyone's attention.

I have tried a few of Susan's recipes--her Peachy Peach Cobbler and her Crock Pot Pork Roast to name a couple, and they have been sensational. If you are interested in getting your own copy of this excellent little cookbook, you can go to www.leedsfirst.org (click on Contact Us) and order one for yourself for just $10 (plus $3.00 for shipping). You won't be sorry!

December 30, 2008

I joined the Simply Sophisticated Block of the Month Club through Fat Quarter Shop a few months ago. Three mailings have arrived at my door, but I am behind in my sewing, and haven't had much of a chance to get started on the project. Since I am a lady of leisure these days, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get to work on this project before it is too late to ever catch up.

The fabrics are very appealing--from the Harvest Home collection by Blackbird Designs for Moda. Each of the monthly blocks have called for two blocks to be made, and the second month called for an additional six setting blocks. You really get your money's worth with this BOM! Below you see Month One on the left and Month Two on the right. I didn't get to the six alternate blocks yet because a light bulb went off in my head and distracted me.

You have to bear with me for a moment here. Last April, when Lisa came to visit and we went on a quilting retreat, we stopped at In Between Stitches, a cool quilt shop where Pamkittymorning used to work. I bought an adorable applique and patchwork quilt kit which you see pictured below:

The kit came with the pattern for the precious applique center, lots of perfect primary color fabrics and a great collection of black and white prints. I added to the black and whites from my stash, and when I opened up the pattern to get started making the blocks, I had a surprise. There were no patterns for the blocks. Huh? Was it a mistake? No indeed. Evidently there had been some sort of Shop Hop where one could go from shop to shop and collect all twenty block patterns. Now, months and months later, I was ready to make my blocks and had no instructions except "make 20 different blocks in black and white fabrics that finish at 9 inches". Well.

I have a number of quilt block books, but the idea of going through them all to flag the twenty 9 inch blocks that would work for this quilt just seemed like too much trouble. So, the cute kit went back in the stash closet for another day.

Today. While I was making the Simply Sophisticated Block of the Month, the thought came to mind "These are all 9 inch finished blocks".

Don't you just love it when you get a brilliant idea?

Added later: An Even More Brilliant Idea

Beth emailed me to suggest a website called Quilter's Cache, where they have a gazillion quilt block patterns all listed by the size of the block. Good night nurse, this is a truly wonderful discovery! Thank you Beth!

December 23, 2008

My favorite girls came over last night for a Christmas Jammie Party. My daughter Sara, three of my sisters and our cousin. Our sister Mary lives in Wisconsin and is buried in snow right now, or she would have been with us as well.

The boys all had to clear out. My husband took Ozzie up to Sunnyvale, where the two of them entertained the grandparents. My son went back to Cal Poly in order to escape the giggles, squeals and hilarity that ensues when six women get together for a sleep over. Besides, I needed his bed for one of the guests. So it was just us girls and we certainly kicked up our heels.

Everyone arrived in comfortable attire, prepared to spend an evening relaxing together and enjoying the spirit of the holiday season. We started the festivities with a Pomegranate Cosmo from Ina Garten's latest cookbook. Good job Ina. These were perfect in every way.

I had instructed all the guests to bring a wrapped ornament to give. We tried to do one of those gift exchanges, where you can steal the gift away from someone, but it really didn't work. Everyone liked what they got, and the stealing just never got off the ground. We had a little competition for the most festive jammies, and let me just say my little sister Trish had it in the bag.

Andrea was wearing the most interesting slippers, which were great big fluffy Christmas trees. These slippers introduced Sophie to a kind of fun she had never imagined possible. Andrea ended up with Sophie attached to her pom poms most of the evening, and got really good with the "leave it" command, as long as her pockets were full of dog treats. Luckily between the cosmos and Sophie hanging onto her slippers, she managed to stay on her feet for the entire party.

Everyone opened their present of the apron I had made them. I tried to match up the fabrics with the personality of the recipient. They all seemed pretty happy by the look of it! Or maybe it was the champagne?

These special woman give to me the whole year long, so my festivities were a small gesture to show them how much I love and appreciate them. Merry Christmas everyone!

December 18, 2008

That little secret Christmas project I have been working on is going great! I have finished four out of the five. Can't show the whole thing, or what ever is left of this so-called secret will be completely out of the bag. Aren't those little pinwheels sweet though? I have definitely changed my mind about them.

I haven't told you all about a special gathering I am planning for this Sunday night. I have invited three of my sisters (one lives too far away to come), my cousin, and my daughter to a Christmas Pajama Party Sleep Over Extravaganza! Everyone will turn up in their comfiest, coziest Christmassy lounge wear and spend an evening around my tree listening to Christmas carols, opening some little presents and with luck, dining on some gourmet food.

I plan to get out the good china and crystal, pour champagne, make Christmas Cosmos, and pamper my favorite women for an evening. The menu has not been completely decided, but I do believe I will have to make my friend Carrie's Peppermint Bark Brownies. (Check out the recipe on her blog!)

I have a good number of beds in the house, but one or two of us may have to couch it. Maybe if the champagne flows freely enough, no one will care where they end up? I plan to take lots of pictures of the food, the decorations, and my guests. I still owe this group big time for that photo they took of me, sleeping on a couch with a lampshade on my head. Heh, heh, heh. Pay back time!

I have been playing with my dining tablescape, and think my problem was just as my sister Andrea said. Too much red. I got rid of the centerpiece and added more sparkly things and like the results. By the way, due to huge pressure from my loved ones, the sequined cowboy Christmas stockings have been returned to the store.

Better get going...nothing like having the girls over to make you notice all the cobwebs and dust bunnies!

December 17, 2008

I have stated unequivocally that I will not make pinwheels ever again in my life. I once made a queen size quilt that was all pinwheels--80 of them, and that pretty much put me off them. My problem was that the center point of each pinwheel block, where all the fabrics come together, was so bulky that it made accuracy a real challenge. Points got cut off, didn't come together at all, and generally looked sloppy. For every ten blocks, I swear I had to re-do eight of them. The quilt turned out pretty despite my troubles, but it sure was slow going.

When I mentioned to my friend Lisa what a trial making this quilt had been, I remember her mildly stating that pressing the seams open alleviates the issue for her. That elicited a five minute diatribe from me on how pressing seams open was too time consuming, boring, and a sure fire way to wreck a person's manicure. She let me rant, and just gave me a Mona Lisa smile.

My last minute Christmas presents this year involve pinwheels. Whatever I have had to say about how much I dislike making them, I have to admit that they are a darn cute little block. So, I thought I might just make a couple of blocks with the seams pressed open. Not a total committment to that method, just a little trial.

And you know what? Every block turned out perfect.

Sometimes we have to do things for the sake of perfection that we don't want to do. I really do need to be more open minded. You think this philosophy might apply to the way I feel about tie offs? :-)

December 15, 2008

My last minute Christmas gift project this year is this adorable apron. Last year I made dozens of napkins for people, this year it is going to be aprons.

This is the cutest pattern ever, and it is by the brilliant Heather Mulder Petersen, called "Charming Trios-The Kitchen Collection". Go buy this pattern. It has the apron you see above, a table runner and two different pot holders. Talk about getting your money's worth out of a product! I may need two of these patterns because I plan on using it to pieces. Plus I spilled some Diet Coke on it, in my excitement to see how cute my apron was turning out.

The most wonderful thing about this apron pattern is that is uses charm squares. You know how we pick up those cute little charm square packs and often aren't sure just how to use them? Well, just pick out your favorites and get a yard or two of coordinating fabric, and you will have the most adorable (and easy to make) apron ever.

I have been a big fan of Heather's for some time now. You probably recognize her by the name Anka's Treasures. Heather has written a number of terrific books utilizing charm squares and jelly rolls--On a Roll, On a Roll Again, Let the Good Times Roll, The Sweet Life, Charmed and Dangerous, and lots more. Her patterns are well written, and easy to follow. Besides all that, she is as cute as can be, and just as nice a person as you will ever meet. She has a marvelous blog called Trends and Traditions, which if you haven 't discovered, you should check it out! I have it marked as a favorite myself.

With any luck, the next week should provide me with the opportunity to crank out some more aprons, so check in again to see how I am progressing!

December 11, 2008

It sounds kind of naughty, but seriously, this is a G Rated fun thing that we do in our family. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the tradition:

"The Christmas pickle is a pickle-shaped ornament hidden in the tree. The child who finds it first on Christmas morning receives an extra present. While the Christmas pickle is believed to be a German custom, it is fairly unknown in Germany but widely spread across the USA. In fact it is completely of American origin."

I have to disagree. My 86 year old mother in law has some antique Christmas ornaments from her Irish grandmother. One of the ornaments is a tiny glass potato. The story goes that the first child who found the hidden potato on the tree gets an extra present. Same game, different culture.

You might think that playing this game is a cinch, but you would be wrong. This little pickle disappears right into the branches of the tree like magic, and is impossible to find! I actually had to replace our pickle one year because when we undecorated the tree of all the other ornaments, we still couldn't find the little dickens.

We have been unpacking boxes of holiday decorations for the past five days and I will be darned if I have yet to find the pickle, so who knows if it will find itself on the tree this year or not? I know it's around here somewhere.

December 07, 2008

My husband and I spent the weekend dragging out the Christmas decorations. We have been celebrating Christmas together for 40 years, and every year we acquire new things. I have always held the opinion that holiday decorations have a life span, and when they reach the end of it, they should be passed on or discarded. My husband does not agree with me.

I love changing my holiday decor, as much as I love moving furniture around for a new look, or updating my wardrobe seasonally. When you're out, you're out, as Heidi Klum would say. However, my DH is a very sentimental man, and has tender feelings for every Santa, snowman or holiday nick nack we have ever owned. He finally agreed to toss some of our really outdated ornaments, mostly given to me when I was teaching school back in the 80's. Why he would have any attachment to an ornament made by a kindergartener he never knew, who has certainly forgotten all about me by now, is a mystery.

I am not completely lacking in sentiment, and have certain items that are my personal favorites. Those homely ornaments that have special memories or associations. For instance, the red haired angel that has graced the top of our tree for the past 30 years. I love that angel. She lights up and looks like a Irish lass who got swooped up to Heaven to look over Christmas at our house and make sure everything is perfect.

The kids have been telling me she looks more like a floozy than an Irish angel, and have been teasing me for the past few years to let her go and get a new tree topper. When my husband and I were out shopping for bargains last, we found a new angel that I thought might be acceptable. In fact, she seemed downright perfect. Elegant, sophisticated....but wait, what's that?

I swear the box she was packaged in said nothing about the fact that her arms wave back and forth and that her wings are fiber optic, and change from purple to green to blue to red. She is an angel that would fit perfectly in Elvis' home at Graceland.

My husband is already getting attached to her. Please tell me she won't be on the top of our tree for the next 30 years.

December 03, 2008

What a glorious long weekend the Thanksgiving Holiday was! I had plenty of time to enjoy all my favorite pastimes--visiting with my family, puttering in the kitchen, reading a good book, going shopping, and spending some time in my sewing room.

We usually decorate our house for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving, but never completely got around to it. I was in the mood for a little red and green and found it in my sewing room. I started this project over a year ago, using a gorgeous group of fabrics from Fig Tree (I know, it isn't at all their typical palatte). Does anyone recall the name of this fabric group? For the life of me, the name escapes me.

I felt like sewing, but on something simple, and these half forgotten blocks were the answer. I played all day Saturday with various combinations of prints, some with light surrounds and some with dark. Here is a better look at one of the blocks:

For the quilt top, I need to construct 61 blocks and I am more than half way there. The pattern I am using is from Evelyn Sloppy's great book 40 Fabulous Quilts. I think the quilt needs a border, so if anyone remembers the name of the fabric group for me, I can begin my search!

December 02, 2008

Christmas came early to our house this year. My husband and I decided not to give each other major gifts this year, and instead, put the money toward the new family room furniture we so desperately need.

My husband has always been a good shopper. I mean a Really Good Shopper. Unbeknownst to me, while I slept in on Black Friday, he had gotten up at the crack of dawn and had driven over to the mall in Monterey to see what bargains he could rustle up. Around 8:30 the phone rang and it was DH. "Where are you?", I sleepily muttered. He, all excited, proceeded to tell me to throw on my clothes and get over to the shopping center, as he had found a furniture deal too good to pass up.

When I turned up, I found him deep in conversation with his new best friend, a charming furniture saleswoman named Ferah. This was the deal--a three piece furniture set (or is it suite?) comprised of a sofa, cushy chair and accent chair. By an extremely well known manufacturer. The second markdown. Plus an extra percentage off. Plus no charge for delivery.

When I first saw the sofa, my first thought was how I could recover the cushions to suit various seasonal decorating changes. I can make this sofa my own with just a change of home dec fabrics if the whim strikes me.

This is going to be my chair. I will put it in the living room where the dogs can't get on it, and it will be my curl-up-with-a-cup-of-tea-and-a-good-book spot. We have two more dog friendly leather chairs coming that will be more appropriate for a family room.

It isn't every day that you find a furniture set that goes with your favorite purple, black and green quilt. At a ridiculously affordable price. Obviously this was meant to be. I love redecorating.